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In 1820, crewmen aboard the New England vessel Essex face a harrowing battle for survival when a whale of mammoth size and strength attacks with force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean. Pushed to their limits and facing storms, starvation, panic and despair, the survivors must resort to the unthinkable to stay alive. Their incredible tale ultimately inspires author Herman Melville to write "Moby-Dick".

Storyline

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story. "In the Heart of the Sea" reveals the encounter's harrowing aftermath, as the ship's surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.

Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson also appeared in Sweety Barrett (1998), 28 Days Later... (2002), Cold Mountain (2003) and Breakfast on Pluto (2005).

The Essex crew attempts to reach Mas a Tierra island, in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Over 100 years earlier, Scotsman Alexander Selkirk had his own ordeal stranded on that island. His story was the basis for Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe".

According to Chris Hemsworth, to prepare for the role of starving sailors, the cast were on a diet of 500-600 calories a day to lose weight.

This is the sixth film directed by Ron Howard based on a true story. The others were "Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind", "Cinderella Man", "Frost/Nixon" and "Rush".

Before Benjamin Walker was set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill.

In 2000, Barry Levinson was set to direct a film adaptation of the book distributed by Miramax.

Reunites 'Game of Thrones' Actors Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark), Joseph Mawle (Benjen Stark) and Donald Sumpter (Maester Luwin) in which Mawle plays the brother-in-law to Fairley and Sumpter acts as the adviser to Fairley. All three characters have interacted with each other in the show.

Herman Melville never actually sailed aboard the Essex. He did however sail on a whaling ship called the Acushnet.

Based on the true story of the Essex, a whaling ship that was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1820. The incident inspired Herman Melville's "Moby Dick".

The movie was originally scheduled for release in March 2015. It was moved to a December 2015 release as an Oscar contender.

Reunites cast members Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson and Charlotte Riley, who all appeared in 'Peaky Blinders' (2013).

Part of this movie was shot in the Canary Islands. Moby Dick, directed by John Huston, was also shot in the Canaries

This marks the second collaboration between director Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth. Their first collaboration was Rush from 2013.

Cillian Murphy, Charlotte Riley, & Paul Anderson also starred alongside each other in the British action-drama series Peaky Blinders.

Michelle Farley, Joseph Mawle, and Donald Sumpter all appeared in Game of Thrones TV series as Lady Catelyn Stark, Benjen Stark and Maester Luwin.

This is the second time Brendan Gleeson and Charlotte Riley have been in the same movie. The first was Edge of Tomorrow (2014).

Michelle Fairley, Joseph Mawle, Donald Sumpter, and Jamie Sives all appeared in the TV show Game of Thrones as Catelyn Stark, Benjen Stark, Maester Luwin, and Jory Cassel.

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